Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

anybody out there play in E flat tuning ... I have jammed with a few bands that use that tuning and I like the way a ric bass growls when tuned to E flat ... also the strings have less tension so they are easier to play ...

I detuned my 1979 4001 to E flat and I like the way it plays and sounds that way ...

I like my 5 string ric basses detuned as well ... but the band I play in plays at normal tuning ...

Rics don't seem to work well detuned to D though ... they seem to work better detuned 1/2 step and not a whole step ...

The mass is there but I'd suspect not being able to drag it down a whole step is the scale length. Ricks are a little shorter than most bases...

Personally I'm a stodgy old fart about tuning, and pretty much keep things in standard. I'll be inclined to drop the E to a D (even sometimes to C# even) if there is a need to deal with the key.

I accidently tuned my 75 4001 to E flat one time before practice by hitting some stupid button on the back of the guitarists tuner. Until we played I couldn't tell from intonation (like I can on an electric guitar) that I was 1/2 step out...I suspected it though. If I practiced it I porbably could have perfect pitch...

The few times I've tried to bring a guitar down 1/2 step I found that my Strat is way better sounding in E flat than my Mustang. Which brings me back to mass and scale length. The 'Stang is a pretty small guitar, and a smaller scale length. I've never tried to tune my Dakota to anything but A-400..

I occasionally tune my E down to D like in the 70's before 5 stringers were common and it is kind of floppy, if I were going to play tuned down for any length of time even down to Eb, I'd probably use a heavier gauge of string .

One project I'm in tunes to E flat & I think my Ricks sound great in that tuning.
Another project tunes to D flat...Ricks not so good for that. Way too "flappy". I end up using my Jazz Bass a lot for that one.

I echo Ed's sentiments...I'm really a standard tuning/440 kind of guy.

Well, I'm not so stodgy that I'll always keep a guitar in E-A-D-G-B-E...I like to experiment with alternates, like open G or A (prefer G), open D, Drop D...I don't go as weird as some of the Alice In Chains and Soundgarden tunings...

Did mess around a few times with an open 9th tuning, making the guitar sound an A9 (E-A-C#-G-B-E). Was an interesting side track, but all in all not very useful!

I believe it was some old blues artists who used the E flat tuning ...

Some artists who use E flat tuning ... Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Puddle of Mud, Collective Soul, Nickelback, Alice in chains, Green Day, and more ...

Jail House Rock was tuned to Eb, had electric bass too in it too, is the earliest widely known song with Eb tuned bass that I know of. I think Hendrix made it widespead. I can't think off hand of anyone really famous before him who used that tuning consistantly.

Yeah, I know SRV plays in E flat...pisses me off!

Now that I'm playing bass it pisses my guitarist off more!